Past, Present, Future
by Flash Foreward
Summary: Scotty's past is acoming to haunt him! Chapter Six! Yay, this chapter is a very loved one. Dear to my heart. Not really, but it's better than the other chapters.
1. The Case

"Buenos Noches, Jessie!" Jose Amaria said to his Granddaughter. The little girl looked up at him from under her covers and smiled.

"Where are mama and papa?" she asked. Her grandfather shook his head and smiled. He kissed her lightly on the cheek before leaving her room and turning off her light. Jessie rolled over in bed and clicked her light back on, hoping her grandfather wouldn't notice.

She had fallen asleep reading, but the sunlight streaming through her window woke her. She pushed her covers aside and left her bedroom behind. The figure of her Grandfather asleep in his favorite chair welcomed her to the new day.

"Hola Abuelo!" she said, crossing to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were open, but he did not move. "Abuelo?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sixteen year old wants to know what happened to her parents, Rush. Get Scotty up and go check out their file. It's Amaria," Stillman said as he passed Lilly Rush's desk. Lilly looked up and nodded. She tapped her partner's shoulder, rousing him from a soft sleep, and they headed toward the storage room.

"What's up?" Scotty Valens asked as the walked into the "A" row of the room. Lilly didn't respond, but reached for the box that said "Amaria, J" on it. One right next to it said "Amaria, G" and another said "Amaria, M."

"Which one is it?" Lilly asked, flipping through the box.

"All of them," Scotty said. He grabbed a peice of paper from the box and began to read. "It's in Spanish," he muttered.

"What does it say?"

"'Abuelo wouldn't wake up, so I went to get my parents. They wouldn't get up either, so I called the police.'"

"Whose she living with?" Lilly asked.

"Her Grandmother."

"Let's go!"


	2. Jojo

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone from Cold Case, but Jessie is definitly mine. Please, don't steal her away from me. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

**Jojo**

She was playing basketball when Scotty and Lilly came. They knocked on the door to her house, and her grandmother pointed her out. The tall one with long hair. Jessie was the tallest in the group, and the only girl. She was surrounded by boys. Scotty and Lilly watched her dribbled down the court and make a pass to a team mate before they stepped in.

"Jessie Amaria? I'm Lilly Rush, this is Scotty Valens. We're from homicide. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Yea?" Jessie asked, walking up to the two. Scotty took a long glance around the court before listening to Lilly's questions.

"What happened the night your parents died?" Lilly asked, pulling out a pad and paper. Jessie stood still for a moment, and then began to shift her weight from one foot to the other.

"Abuela came over to give me my present, but Papa was cleaning his gunAbuela went off the wall about how our house was a terrible environment to raise a child. She gave a speech on how she was going to take me away from them," Jessie finally said.

"Gift?" Scotty asked.

"My birthday was the next day. I turned six."

"Gun?" Lilly questioned.

"My parents were detectives. I didn't even know they had guns until that night. Mama and I had been playing a game when Abuela came over. I only knew about the gun because I ran in to see what Abuela was yelling about. If it weren't for Abuelo, she would've taken me that night," Jessie said. "He told her that the way Papa and Mama were raising me was fine. And she spat at him, yelled something to Mama, and left."

"Do you know anything about the case your parents were working on?" Lilly asked. Jessie shrugged.

"No, they didn't talk about work at home. All I knew about their job was that they had met because they were partners."

"Hey, Jessie, c'mon. We gotta get this game going!" a boy shouted.

"Yea, leave the coppers and c'mon," another chimed in.

"Coppers?" a third asked. From what Scotty could see, he looked scared.

"I hate coppers!" The first speaker said, tossing the ball down court.

"Hey, guys, Jojo was a cop!" Jessie said. All of the boys fell silent, as though Jojo was a god.

"Who is Jojo?" Scotty asked. Lilly gave him a sideways look and he shrugged. "It could pertain to the case."

"I doubt it," Jessie laughed. "I met Jojo when I moved here, after my parents died. He was, like, ten years older than me or something. Left with his friend when I was ten. She was sick or something."

"Well, thanks for your cooperation," Lilly said. She turned to leave, Scotty following.

"Hey, try talking to papa's old partner, the one before mama. His name was Stillman, or something," Jessie shouted after them. Lilly glanced at Scotty, he looked as confused as she was.

**A/N: Sorry that it's so short. I'm having thought problems. Also, sorry about taking so long to update, I couldn't think of anything. I'll try to be quicker with chapter three! Please RR! Flash**


	3. Secrets

**Chapter Three**

**Secrets**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters you recognize from Cold Case.

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

They went back to Jessie's house. Scotty knocked, and Jessie's grandmother opened it. She invited Scotty and Lilly into the house and had them sit down on a couch. She bundled about in a room to the right, presumably the kitchen, and returned moments later with a plate of cookies.

"They're chocolate chip," she said. She set them down on a little coffee table before she sat down. Lilly glanced over at Scotty and then back at the old woman before them. Scotty was staring at the wall to his right, it was covered in pictures.

"Can you tell us what you remember about the night that your son, husband, and daughter in law died?" Lilly asked. The woman shrugged and took one of the cookies. She sat back, not eating and not speaking.

"You can go and look at them, if you like. They're mostly of Jessie and her friend. Jojo, I think," she finally said. She then took a bite out of the cookie and watched as Scotty stood up and looked at the pictures.

"Mrs. Amaria?" Lilly said.

"Oh, dear, please call me Benita," was the shocked response.

"Well, can you tell us what you remember?" Scotty said, still looking at the pictures.

"I gave my statement then, young man, and I don't feel a need to give it again."

That was the end of it. Scotty and Lilly left with the same information they'd had when they arrived, plus a picture.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What've we got?" Lilly asked, mostly to herself. She and Scotty had returned to the office to run through some things, and talk to Stillman.

"We have to talk to Stillman, and find some way to get the grandmother to talk," Scotty said. Lilly nodded and flipped through the case file.

"Her statement supports Jessie's, that she came to give a present. She then went home to bake cookies," Lilly said. Scotty gave a slight laugh and Lilly glanced up at him. To anyone else, it would've seemed like it was just good natured amusement. But, since Elisa's death, Lilly never knew what to expect from her partner. The laugh sounded forced.

"Pretty bad alibi," Scotty said, quickly. He took the file from his partner and began to glance through it. He jumped as a hand settled on his shoulder.

"Can I talk to you?" Nick Vera said. Scotty nodded and stood up. He followed Vera to the corner of the office.

"What is it?" Scotty asked.

"You still with Lil's sis?" Vera asked. Scotty sighed and glanced over his shoulder at his partner. Lilly was reading the case file.

"No. I took your advice," Scotty wasn't the best liar, but if Vera caught the bluff, he wasn't showing it.

"I hope so," Vera left. Scotty walked back to his desk and sat down.

"You okay?" Lilly asked. Scotty nodded and stood up.

"I'm gonna head out for the night, see Elisa's family. You think you can handle Stillman?" Scotty asked. Lilly nodded. Scotty left, scowling inwardly. He hated lying to Lil, she was his partner. But, if he told her truth, he'd be in bigger trouble.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, Lil. Where's Scotty?" Stillman asked. Lilly looked up and let the case file slip out of her hands.

"You knew the vics?" she asked. Stillman sighed. He'd wondered when they'd figure it out.

"Yeah."

"What case were they working on?"

"The Metora Twins. Two ex-cops. Pretty bad eggs, if you ask me," Stillman said. Lilly nodded and jotted down a few words on her notebook.

"Either of them named Jojo?" Lilly asked. Stillman nodded.

"Jojo and Rodrigo Metora."

"We may come back to you," Lilly said. Stillman nodded and walked into his office. "Hey, Vera, you wanna find this kid for me? Jojo Metora."

"Yeah, sure Lil."

"Get Will to help you."

"I will, see you tomorrow."

Vera watched as Lilly left. He jotted down the name and grabbed his own coat, he'd find this guy tomorrow.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Thanks," Scotty said and Christina Rush placed his drink in front of him.


	4. Rocket

**A/N: I know that the chapters have been short lately, and pretty bad too. I apologize for this. When I began the thought process for this fic, it was mainly screenplay like. Typing it as a story has proved difficult, especially since I haven't given as much thought to the middle. So, since suddenly my muse is on over drive, this chapter should be much better.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize from Cold Case. The Amarias are mine and may be used in later CC fics, so don't steal them.

**Chapter Four**

**Rocket**

Scotty went to have another attempt with the grandmother, while Lilly went with Vera and Jeffries to find Jojo. It was cold, so Scotty had slung his scarf around his neck, pulled his gloves on, and buttoned his coat up. He knocked on the door and was greeted by something akin to a tornado. Benita flung herself outside, giving him a gigantic bear hug.

"Jojo!" she screamed. Scotty could hear muffled calls of '¿Quien es, Abuela?' coming from inside the house. The old woman pulled back and looked Scotty up and down, the opposite of her tongue-tied appearance the day before.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am. I'm not Jojo. I'm detective Scotty Valens," Scotty said. he straightened his jacket and looked up at Benita, she looked confused.

"Abuela!" Jessie appeared at her grandmother's shoulder. "No es Jojo."

"Si, es Jojo!"

"Abuela, tu telenovela es en la cocina," Jessie said. The woman stood up strait and walked purposefully towards the kitchen door. Jessie sighed and invited Scotty in.

"What was that about?" Scotty asked, pulling off his gloves.

"I dunno, she forgets her English sometimes," Jessie fell backwards onto a chair and put her feet up on the coffee table. In seconds, her grandmother stood in the doorway with a death glare set on her face. Jessie sighed and returned her feet to the ground, and the grandmother nodded and returned to her soap opera.

"Well, right. I came to talk to her about your parents," Scotty said. He looked around before sitting down on the couch.

"You won't get much out of her, she hated my mother. Thought it was a blessing when she died. But she had this whole problem with my dad dying. Said whoever did it should've spared 'the innocent.'" Jessie said. She leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling and Scotty jotted a few things down in a notebook.

"Did you ever hear your parents mention the Metora twins?" Scotty asked.

"Nah, they didn't say much about anything except my school life. Which wasn't too bad, since I was a first grader."

"Well, your parents were investigating them. One of them was named Jojo-"

"Hey, no way man. Jojo, the one I know, wouldn't kill anyone. He was a copper through and through." Jessie said. She had leaned foreword, her elbows on her knees.

"It's only one lead. But, the twins were ex-cops. Could it be possible that he lied to you?" Scotty asked. Jessie was silent for a moment, shaking her head back and forth.

"No. And, besides, Jojo wasn't even named Jojo. I just called him that, everyone else called him 'Scott,' or something." Jessie said. Scotty jotted the two names down and opened his mouth to inquire about the whereabouts of this 'Jojo.'

"Rocket?" a shrill voice erupted from the kitchen.

"Abuela, me llamo Jessie. Tu sabes." Jessie called, standing up.

"I know, I know. Only Jojo can call you Rocket," Benita was walking into the room carrying a tray of crackers and cheese. "I just came to give you two some snacks."

Jessie thanked her grandmother and took the tray. She set it down on the coffee table and watched to make sure her grandmother had left.

"She knows I hate that name," Jessie mumbled. Scotty gave her a quizzical look and Jessie sighed. "Jojo called me Rocket. We had a running joke that I'd make it to the Olympics for track. He promised he'd be my trainer when I was old enough. Then, his friend got sick and they had to leave. He never came back."

"Do you have a picture of his friend?" Scotty inquired. He wasn't sure if it was necessary information, but he figured that finding the friend could lead them to this Jojo character. Jessie nodded and left the room. She came back a few moments later and handed a picture to Scotty. Scotty stared at the picture for a minute, surprised, before glancing back at Jessie. She was smirking, as though she had expected his reaction.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lilly stood over Vera's shoulder as he filed through the computer data. They hoped that the Metora twins would be in the database, and their hopes proved successful.

"Here they are," Vera said. Jeffries gave a small cheer and threw down the paper files he had been sifting through. The three of them waited as the file printed out and Vera grabbed it. He skimmed the page before handing it to Lilly.

"Is he our guy?" Jeffries asked.

"Nope," Lilly said. "He was in jail. Caught a few days before they died in a bank robbery. His brother got away."

"He's right," Lilly said, reading the file. She sighed and set down the file.

"Lil, wait, look at this. Says here that the robbery went bad because Detective Amaria and his wife were there. So, its because of them that Jojo's in jail. Maybe Rodrigo had a thing for revenge," Jeffries suggested. Lilly picked the file and read it over again. Nodding.

"Let's find Rodrigo," Lilly said, standing up. She grabbed her jacket and scarf and headed towards the door. Vera glanced at Jeffries, who shrugged.

"Hey, Lil, where you going?" Vera asked. Lilly looked over her shoulder.

"To get Scotty."

**I apologize to those who don't speak Spanish! Most of the words aren't that hard to figure out. Please RR!**


	5. Remember Me?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from cold case, but Jessie's mine and may be used in future CC fics.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone for all the lovely reviews, they really keep me going. Please review this chapter, too. I'm kind of mad at it, since I thought it up while Elisa was still alive. Originally Elisa played a main part in this chapter, but I changed it now that she's gone. I hope you like it.

**Chapter Five  
****Remember Me?**

Scotty grabbed a cookie off the tray and took a bite out of it. He hadn't felt so confused since Elisa's death. Running to Chris had seemed to be the answer, the solution. But now, everything was rushing back into him. He couldn't let it, he had to push it away. He had a job to do.

"What's her name?" he asked. He was trying hard not to recognize the picture. His little act since the beginning had gone uncaught by Jessie, he hoped. Perhaps he could keep it up.

"Elisa."

Perhaps not. Scotty dropped the cookie and picked up the picture. The couldn't be the same person. He wouldn't let them be. But the nicknames, the memories. The promises. They were all there. Hidden in the back of his memory. In a place he had blocked away. A past he didn't want. Full of lies. Broken promises. And the two lights he'd had, Rocket and Elisa. A little sister and a friend.

"What's Jojo's full name?" Scotty asked. Maybe it was a different Jojo. A different Scott. Maybe his memories were still safe. But the picture. Him and Elisa on the basketball court.

"Scotty Valens."

Something in Scotty shattered. A shield he had built to keep those years out. Bad years, especially for Elisa. She had been struggling when Jessie came, she'd been like a cure-all. A panacea of inner torment. It was amazing how much the smiling face of a little girl could accomplish.

"We're still gonna go to the Olympics, Rocket. I promise," Scotty mumbled. A tear trickled out from under his eyelid and his hand quickly shot up to catch it as it fell. A precious diamond in the residue of broken flesh.

"Where is she?" Jessie asked, taking the picture from his hands. Scotty watched her, closely.

"When I heard about this job, you wantin' to know what happened to your parents an all, I remembered. I didn't need this to... to help. I just, didn't want to remember. You know?" Scotty picked up his cookie and took another bite.

'Where is she?" Jessie asked again. She was tracing her finger around the outline of the two smiling people in the photograph. Scotty stared at her. He didn't want to say it, not to Jessie. She was broken enough as it was. He sighed and leaned forward, about to speak. There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it, Abuela," Jessie said. She walked to the door and stopped. She turned to Scotty. "Who did you replace her with?" She didn't let him answer, just let him think. She didn't want to know. She opened the door, the picture clutched in her hand. Those familiar words floated to Scotty's ears. But it was the wrong voice.

"Is Scotty Valens here?" Lilly Rush's voice. Not Elisa. Scotty could remember the days when he and Jessie were plotting for the Olympics. Elisa would come to the door, looking for him. Him and Rocket. For a basketball game with the neighbors.

"Yep, he's here," Jessie stepped back from the door. Lilly looked inside at Scotty and smiled.

"We've got something," She said. Scotty stood up and followed Lilly out the door. "Jojo Metora isn't our Jojo, but he was in jail the day the Amarias died."

"How does that help us?" Scotty asked. They were walking down the road, talking. Something Scotty missed, something he couldn't have. Not with Lilly. Not as long as he was with Chris. There was always the chance that he would slip up, tell Lilly what was going on. And he wanted to, but she'd just try to understand. Chris didn't. Chris didn't pretend that she knew what he was talking about, she just let him talk.

"Rodrigo was at the bust. It was a bank robbery, and the Amarias stopped it," Lilly snapped Scotty out of his thoughts. He couldn't drown himself in self pity, not as long as he had a chance to find out who had taken away Jessie's family.

"So, we've got motive. Revenge," Scotty said. "Where is Rodrigo?"

"In the neighborhood, that's why we're walking. He lives two streets away from Jessie," Lilly said. They turned a corner, onto the street. Two streets away. Scotty took a deep breath, and stopped walking.

"Lil, I found Jojo," he said. Lilly stopped a few steps after and turned to look at Scotty. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He flipped through the pictures of him and Elisa until he came to the duplicate of Jessie's. He pulled it out of the plastic cover and handed it to Lilly.

"You?" she asked. Scotty nodded. "Did you know when we took this case?"

"Yeah, Lil. I remembered when I heard the name Amaria. I just, didn't want to remember," he said. He looked down at the sidewalk, trying to make out all of the different patterns that ran along the concrete.

"Why not?"

"It was a bad year for Elisa, that's why I left. She needed to go to the hospital, and we had to move. I had to go," Scotty blinked. The memories were flooding into his head, he could see himself on the basketball court. One on one against Jessie. And Elisa on the bench, cheering him on.

"You want to talk to Rodrigo tomorrow? Take the rest of the day off, to think?" Lilly asked. Scotty looked up. She wasn't trying to understand, she wasn't saying that it would be okay, she was just offering him what he needed. He nodded and headed in the direction they had just come from, leaving Lilly standing alone on the sidewalk.

She looked down at the picture that was still in her hand. It was Scotty and Elisa. First Stillman, then Scotty. This case was just getting weirder and weirder. Lilly sighed and put the picture in her pocket.


	6. Closer

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from Cold Case.

**A/N:** Forgive me for the character of Rodrigo, I watched The Ladykillers right before I wrote this chapter, and so his character is a bit of an AH. Anyway, there's going to be one chapter after this one, and don't go jumping to conclusion's just because of one or two things I wrote in this one. I hop you enjoy it! (I like this chapter!)

**Chapter Six  
****Closer**

Lilly didn't know why, but something kept her from waiting an entire day to talk to Rodrigo. The man could have had some clue to this case, and she wasn't going to let Scotty's personal life interfere. It was bad enough that he had a personal involvement in the case and hadn't told anyone, but the fact that it may inhibit the questioning of a suspect made it all worse. No, Lilly was going in at this guy, alone.

She knocked on the door, a little apprehensive about the entire situation. When it swung open to reveal an older gentleman, cane and all, she was slightly taken aback.

"Rodrigo Metora?" she asked. The old man hung his head and sighed.

"I was wondering when somebody would say that name again. I've been going by Calvin Stien for the past six years of my life. Wont you come in?" He held the door open and Lilly took a few steps. When the door shut behind her, she knew there was no turning back.

"If you go by Calvin Stien, why is the name Metora attached to this house?" she asked. The man gestured for her to sit down and joined her on a small couch. The room they were in was neat, completely empty of anything unnecessary for daily living and minimal comfort.

"This is where I grew up, and I inherited this house from my parents. That's why. Now, since you seem to know more about me than I do, why don't you explain why your here," he was kind, more like a Hercule Poirot than a James Moriarty. The sort of man who would solve a crime, not commit one.

"I'm here about the Amaria's, Jose, Marco, and Gwen Amaria were all murdered on the same night ten years ago. Now, I understand that they were investigating-"

"My brother and I, yes. We had quite a criminal record. Jojo is still doing time for our misdeeds, which I am ashamed to admit I had a part in," he wasn't boasting. He seemed genuinely sincere about being sorry. But Lilly wasn't going to let him beguile her with his big words and gentlemanly manner, looks can be deceiving.

"I understand your brother was caught in a bank robbery, but you managed to get away. Now, that's motive," Lilly said. If he confessed, she'd say it was too easy. But if he resisted, she'd say it was perfect.

"That may be motive, but why would I do such a thing? If I murdered them after my brother's arrest, I would merely look all the more guilty than if I waited a few years and killed them mysteriously at a dinner party," he was a genius. Even if he had been a criminal, he was definitely a mastermind. A James Moriarty sort of man.

"Well, maybe because back then you two weren't known for your carefully planned exploits," Lilly retorted. The man gave a bit of a smile, he seemed amused at Lilly's idea of how his criminal enterprises were run.

"That was because I allowed my brother to run the show. Had I been in charge, we would never have gotten caught, and the entire Amaria family would be deceased. And even if they weren't, and you were still poking around, I'd be able to order you popped off in a manner of minutes with no evidence to trace back to me," he set down his cane on a coffee table for a bit of emphasis on his bold statement. Now he was boasting.

"How about you explain to me where rational thought comes in after your brother, and partner in crime, goes down for a bank robbery?" Lilly was a little upset at the man, now. He talked like a gentleman, he looked like a gentleman, but he was too big headed to be anything but a good for nothing criminal.

A smart criminal.

"Well, see, rational though is a very interesting subject. There's also the question of common sense involved. I used my common sense and steered clear of criminal activities for four years. I let everything about this case cool off before I tried anything, and then I got careless. That's why I changed my name," he looked defeated. As if Lilly had sucked the last ounce of ass-hole out of his body.

"So, do you deny any involvement?" Lilly asked. The man nodded, and looked down at his hands. "Then you wouldn't mind coming down to the station and making a statement?"

"No, I wouldn't. I'll go."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The ball slipped through the hoop and bounced on the court. Jessie grabbed it mid bounce and began to dribble to the free-throw line. She dribbled at her feet and stared the basket down. She took a shot, the ball rolling off of her fingers and flying through the air. It bounced off the rim and fell to the ground, snatched out of the air by a foreign hand.

"I think I owe you a game," Scotty stood under the basket, smiling. It was true, he did owe Jessie a game, he'd promised her one more. He tossed the ball back to her and they both moved up past the three point line. Jessie checked the ball and Scotty bounced it back.

"Let's see if you still have it," Jessie said. She dribbled the ball, smiling. She bounced it behind her back and turned 360 degrees. She shot past Scotty and as she jumped, his hand came up to knock the ball out of her grip. He slipped around and grabbed it, taking it out before shooting. The ball fell through the hoop, and Jessie laughed.

"Looks like I do," Scotty said.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, Chris," Lilly said. Her sister sat in the living room, eating a TV dinner and watching the TV. "How's it going?" Lilly hung up her jacket and Chris glanced over at her. She shrugged and returned her gaze to the Television.

"Same old. Not much changes when you live with your sister and Work in a bar," Chris said. Lilly sighed. Her day hadn't gone too well either. Rodrigo was still denying any knowledge about the Amaria's deaths, and Scotty had come in unexpected. He'd gone a little psycho when he found out that Lilly had questioned Rodrigo without him, and Lilly had tried to explain the problems that could be caused by emotional involvement in a case.

Scotty had appeared to accept that, but he'd left upset. Lilly didn't know where he'd gone, or even if he'd gone anywhere in particular. Probably back to his apartment. Lilly sat down next to her sister and grabbed a carrot out of her TV dinner. They both smiled, but the moment didn't last long.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and Lilly got up to answer it. She opened it to the face of Scotty Valens. He looked like he'd been drinking, or at least like he'd fallen asleep on his arm. He smiled, but it wasn't very convincing.

"Come in," Lilly said. She stepped aside, and Scotty took a few tentative steps. It reminded Lilly of when she had entered the Metora house. She smiled. Scotty took his gloves off and rubbed his hands together.

"Hi, Scotty," Chris had appeared, come to join the party. She was leaning against the wall, smiling. Scotty shot her a smile, a small one. It confused her.

"Lil, can I talk to you. It's about the case, and a few other things," Scotty said. Lilly nodded and he followed her into the kitchen. Lilly sat down at the table, and Scotty leaned against the counter. He set his gloves down and tried to decide where to start.

"Well?" Lilly said. Scotty took a deep breath, and tried his best.

"You said we found him because he lived in the house he inherited, but that he changed his name?" Scotty asked. Lilly nodded. "That sounds a little careless, especially since his drivers license still says that he's Rodrigo Metora."

"So, you think he's the guy?" Lilly asked. Scotty shook his head.

"No, I don't. He's got an alibi that's been confirmed. I just think that he's lying," Scotty said. He knew something, and Lilly needed to find out what.

"So, who are you saying did this? The grandmother," Scotty didn't respond. "Oh, come on, Scotty. She was at home baking cookies!"

"I lived in that neighborhood, Lil. I was there when Jessie showed up. And that woman was the person you went to when you wanted some baked goods. But her light was off that night, Elisa pointed it out to me. We were looking at the stars, and the lights were off. I'm not saying she did it, I'm just saying that she needs a new alibi." Lilly stared at her partner. There was no way to tell if he knew what he was talking about, but he grabbed his gloves and got ready to leave.

"You said there was something else, not case related," Lilly said. Scotty hung his head.

"I've been an idiot. Since Elisa died, I just went looking for love in all the wrong places," Scotty turned around. Lilly had figured out what he meant, and she stood up, he held his hand up to stop her. "Let me explain. I was talking to Jessie, and she already berated me for doing something stupid. I went to Chris because she listened. She gave me a chance to talk, but now I think I made a mistake. The way Jessie put it, I went for one sister because I didn't think I could reach the other."

Outside of the kitchen, laying on the couch, Chris closed her eyes. she had turned the volume on the TV down so that she could hear what they were saying, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to anymore.


	7. Love, Lies, and Valens

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that you recognize from Cold Case. They belong to the creators, the producers, and CBS.

**A/N:** Well, this is it. The moment of truth. The ending. If I get a lot of bugging, I might be pesruaded to write an afterword, but I probably wont. Please, enjoy.

**Chapter Seven**

**Love, Lies, Valens**

Lilly was angry. No, fuming. No, outraged. She could think of nothing to say, but her glare made Scotty wonder if he had done the right thing. He knew she'd be happy to have his insight on the case, even if he had a personal involvement, but he hadn't known what reaction she would have to his little confession.

"You. Lied. To. Me." Lilly said, haltingly.

"Well, no, er, yeah. But, Lil-"

"And you take the advice of a sixteen year old girl who you didn't want to remember over a warning from your partner? She's bad news, Scotty," Lilly said. Scotty opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. Christina had appeared in the doorway, she looked as though she had been crying, but Scotty wouldn't look at her. Lilly, whose back was to the door, had not yet noticed her sister's presence.

"I'm sorry. Look, Lil, I just reached out for someone to Listen. Chris was there. I never meant to hurt you," he was talking to both of them now. He knew Chris had been listening, why else would she have come into the kitchen? He didn't know what to do, but he wished he hadn't listened to Jessie.

"It's a little late for that! Go home, sleep. We'll question the Grandma and Rodrigo tomorrow," Lilly said. Chris had left and Scotty sighed. Back to the case, all to avoid opening up to someone. Telling them what was wrong. Lilly was still glaring at him, but he didn't move. He wasn't going to give up, not yet.

He set his gloves back down on the counter and stood up strait. He took a step foreword and placed one hand on Lilly's shoulder. The glare was replaced by a look of confusion as he brought his other hand up and pushed a stray hair out of her face. She flinched, pushing him away.

"You can't hide forever Lil," Scotty said. He picked up his gloves and left, letting himself out. Lilly sat down at the table and began to cry. A hand on her shoulder announced Chris's presence yet again. Lilly pushed the hand off of her, and Chris sat down across from Lil. Her face was tear streaked.

"I'm sorry. If I'd known...," Chris said. Lilly looked up and took her sister's hand. She wanted to scream, yell, and throw Chris out. But she needed someone, someone to be there. For now, Chris would do.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Mrs. Amaria, Would you tell us where you were the night of September 7, 1995?" Lilly asked. She sat across from the old woman in the interrogation room, and Scotty was leaning against the wall. Unseen and nearly forgotten.

"I was at home, baking. I always made cookies for the neighborhood kids. Ask Jojo," she gestured at Scotty as she spoke. He stood up strait.

"First of all, my name is Detective Valens. Second, I was there. The house was dark that night," Scotty said, quietly. There was a strange tone in his voice, one that surprised Lilly. He took a step foreword, placing one hand on his partner's shoulder and the other on the table. Mrs. Amaria closed her eyes.

"I..." she didn't continue. She stared at her, waiting. But she didn't speak.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You wanna change your story?" Vera asked. He stood in one corner of the room and Jeffries stood in the other. Rodrigo Metora sat at the table in the center, rubbing his hands together.

"No," he said, shortly. Jeffries moved around the table and sat down across from the criminal.

"You said you changed your name, but your drivers licensee still says that your Rodrigo Metora," Jeffries said.

"I didn't kill anyone. That was all Jojo. He was always talking about taking the detectives who were investigating us out of the picture. When he got arrested, I was relieved. I thought I'd never have to face that part of my life again. Until that detective showed up. I got scared, and I made up a story," he looked sincere, but Vera wasn't buying it.

"So, you never change your name, but you lie ten years later?" he asked. Rodrigo nodded.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"They had to die. I couldn't take it. They raised her with a gun in the house. In plain view," Scotty looked up and Lilly leaned foreword as Mrs. Amaria began to speak. "I wanted what was best for Jessie. There was a thunder storm, perfect for my plan. I went back, used my key, and took out Marco's gun. I did what was best for Jessie."

"By taking away her family?" Scotty asked.

"I was her family, and I am her family. They shut me out!" Mrs. Amaria slammed her fist down on the table. "First Marco ran off and married that wench, Gwen. Then Jose, my own husband, doesn't like my attitude towards my daughter in law so he leaves. They shut me out."

"You made it worse than it had to be," Scotty said. They led her out of the room, Jessie was standing by Stillman when the appeared. She walked over and gave her Grandmother one last hug. Scotty saw a tear escape from her rapidly blinking eyes, but she brushed it away.

As he watched her walk away, Scotty saw a fleeting glimpse of her and Elisa in the back of his mind. Joking about him, laughing as the three of them tossed a ball around. He would never see her again.

"So, Lil." Scotty said as they watched Mrs. Amaria being led away. "How about a drink, and a talk?" Lilly looked at Scotty for a moment. There had been something in his voice when he had been talking to Mrs. Amaria after the confession. A hurt, as though he had known the whole family.

But he hadn't.

"Yeah," Lilly said.


End file.
